Early Warning Signs
Early Warning Signs
If you don’t schedule time for preventive maintenance, your device will schedule it for you…and usually at the most inopportune time. A simple web search on the term preventive maintenance (PM) results in 171 million results in 0.5 seconds but its definition and how its practice is implemented differs based on many criteria. There are […]
3D Ultrasound
Is it 3D, 4D, or 3D/4D, and what is 5D Ultrasound? You may be surprised to know that the first 3D ultrasound image was acquired back in 1986. Saying that 3D ultrasound technology has advanced over the last 30-some years is an understatement. In its infancy, 3D ultrasound images were acquired by sonographers manually moving […]
TEE Probes 101
Trans-esophageal echo-cardiology (TEE) probes. Merely uttering those words can sound intimidating. Even imaging service engineers, who’ve supported diagnostic ultrasound for years, may have never truly felt comfortable handling these devices. Most HTM professionals only handle them when they fail and require service. Let’s talk TEE probe 101, and introduce or reacquaint ourselves with the technology and […]
TEE Probe Preventive Maintenance
TEE probes are exposed to significant wear as part of everyday normal use. Significant savings add-up with a TEE probe preventive maintenance program. Last month, we provided an overview of TEE probes and in prior posts provided evidence that suggests that adding ultrasound probes to a comprehensive PM program can contribute to long-term cost savings […]
Elements of Speed
No matter what’s going on in the world around us, turn-around time will always be a critical issue for maintaining uptime, client satisfaction, and patient care for healthcare facilities of all sizes. But getting your ultrasound probes back in operation quickly is not always a good thing. Following is a brief checklist of The Elements […]
Soft training that can save your budget
It’s a given that your service team needs ongoing, specialized in-depth training on maintaining and troubleshooting the devices you have in your imaging departments. However, sometimes the soft training, training on strategies and processes for lowering your costs, optimizing performance, and managing your return on Investment (ROI) is missed. From years of experience, we’ve discovered […]
5-Rules for Testing Ultrasound Image Quality
Recently, a customer reached out for some tech support for troubleshooting an image quality complaint from one of his sonographers. He had only just started supporting ultrasound and wanted some quick tips on assessing image quality. There are numerous testing criteria that can be used to qualify image quality and over 100 variables that can […]
Visual Inspection of Ultrasound Probes
Anywhere from 30% – 40% of ALL ultrasound probes, in-use at ANY moment, require some level of repair. I can say that with firm confidence after visiting hundreds of customer sites and assessing well over ten thousand ultrasound probes. Another fact: Prevention and early detection are the most effective means of reducing long-term support costs within the ultrasound modality. […]
What’s Inside Matters
If we’ve learned anything over the years, that applies to the Right to Repair issue that we now face relative to a repair, is WHAT’S INSIDE MATTERS. Back in 1991, Intel Corporation began placing “intel inside” stickers on PCs built with its processors so that consumers would know that their computer contained a genuine Intel microprocessor and not […]
The High Cost of Low Price
Remember that great deal you got on that shirt that wasn’t the same after washing it once? Well the same thing can happen with imaging device repairs. That repair you got for a low price and a quick turn-around could actually be costing you more than double what it would it have cost you to get it right the […]
